Picking Up the Pieces: A Piano Practice Journal

I was supposed to have a piano lesson last Tuesday, but I had to go to North Carolina for the week, so we rescheduled to today. But today my piano teacher isn't feeling well, so he had to cancel. Next week is spring break, so he's not doing lessons. He said he could take me the following Tuesday, but that's not going to work for me because I already have an appointment after work. So, my next lesson will be April 23, five weeks after my last one. After that, I have two more scheduled 30-minute lessons: May 7 and May 21. I really need to sit down and think about whether I want to continue lessons into the summer. Part of me would love to, but I'm not sure it's worth it. $150 every two months for four 30-minute lessons isn't a lot, but a 30-minute lesson every other week really doesn't give me what I need. There's barely time to work on a single piece in a half-hour, even with skipping warmups altogether. (And I need my scale/arpeggio/inversions warm-ups a...

I did it. I signed up for piano lessons. One evening a week, for an hour. I've found a good, serious teacher, and my first lesson is next week. It feels kind of like I'm strapping myself into a roller coaster. I'm really excited, even though I'm sure the whole experience will have its scary and stressful moments. And there just may be a time or two when I want to yell, "Stop this thing! Let me off!" The last time I took regular lessons was 2005. I studied with Deborah for about a year and a half, and then I got the teaching job, and then we moved, and then ... well. We tried to start up lessons again a few times, but it never worked. Our schedules didn't match up, and I was busy with a full-time job and a small child. I'm no less busy today, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about priorities. I've also been thinking about where I am in life: My child is more independent, we're financially stable, and my health is good. My parent...